


All Hearts Come Home for Christmas

by parallelcurtains



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Prompt Fic, dad!even, lawyer!Isak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28013310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parallelcurtains/pseuds/parallelcurtains
Summary: When Isak returns to his hometown for this year's Christmas festivities, he is surprised to find his mother has a new neighbor. Instead of the elderly couple that used to live there for ages, a young man has made the house across from the Valtersen's a home for himself and his family. Isak is immediately mesmerized by the stranger and suddenly, the list of things he dislikes about the small town in the North of Norway feels irrelevant.***"So," the stranger eventually breaks the tension building up between them. "Not to be rude or anything… but who are you exactly? I haven't seen you here before… Marianne is a lovely lady, and if you intend to break in or something, I'll have to stop you."Isak raises his eyebrows. "Right… I could say the same about you, to be honest. Who are you and what did you do to Signe and Johan?"The stranger laughs and a warm feeling spreads out from Isak's stomach through his whole body, despite it being several degrees below zero. This laugh is not from this earth, he's sure, and it sounds more angelic than his mum's choir singing Christmas carols in her church the evening before Christmas Eve.
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen
Comments: 30
Kudos: 126





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fauu_stine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauu_stine/gifts).



> Okay, peeps... there's a lack of Christmas fics here, so here we go! I have no idea when/how often will I be able to update - but I definitely wanted to get this out before Christmas to get you all into a cozy, hyggelig little Christmas mood (and myself, too)! So, I decided to post the first chapter, no matter when I'll be able to continue... If you know me, you know I'm pretty stressed right now, so it might even take until Christmas next year for me to finish. I won't make any promises on that and you'll have to read on the risk that you won't get updates often/soon. Sorry, that's how it is for me right now. :-(
> 
> Anyways, enough of that... We'll see how it will go! This is a prompt fic, basically. I saw this [Tweet](https://twitter.com/ivyarchive/status/1322956632364519425?s=20) with typical Christmas movie tropes and asked around what people wanted to see for Evak. My fave prompt came from my lovely Beta-readers Tiff and Nat (thank you so very much, you lovely queens!! <3) - it was the combo: big city lawyer returns to her small town at Christmas time to inherit something and magically falls in love with EITHER a single dad and his precious child OR with some guy and his dog.  
> Well, Isak won't inherit something because I wanted Marianne to be around... And for the last part, I also made some adaptions and combinations to make it fit for the story I want to write. You'll have to wait and see how that will play out! So, I hope this will be satisfying either way for the prompt givers - and y'all, as well! ;-)
> 
> I gift this to my most lovely, favorite co-writer Faustine. Thank you for your comments and your encouragement on any- and everything I do. It's so highly appreciated, I don't think you actually know. Thanks for brainstorming and dreaming with me, thanks for supporting me. Love you. <3
> 
> Anyways, enjoy, peeps! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

It's pitch-black outside when Isak steps off the plane, even though it's barely three in the afternoon. He adds "midnight sun" to the list of things he doesn't miss about his hometown. A list so long that, if Isak were to ever write it down, he would need a whole textbook for.

Sighing, Isak pulls his beanie over his curls and makes his way towards the terminal building, trying to protect his messenger bag from the snow as best as he can. There are important documents in that bag, alongside his laptop - so if he has to use his whole body to shield it, he will, okay?

After what feels like an eternity, Isak finally gets a hold of his suitcase and makes his way outside to hop on a taxi outside the airport.

He uses the ten minutes drive to check his emails, quickly replying to the most important ones before he makes a quick call to his boss to give her the most critical updates. Or well, what he planned to be a quick call. But he should know his boss better by now, calls with her are never quick. Addison keeps talking and talking while the taxi driver stops the car in front of his mother's house. So, Isak holds the phone between his ear and his shoulder, trying to follow Addison's explanations while he's paying the driver.

Once the driver has helped him with his suitcase, Isak leans against the fence around his mother's front yard, hoping he can end the call before he freezes to death.

Isak isn't sure for how long he has been standing there when he looks up and sees a little girl running out of the house across the street. She is followed by a dog about half her size and immediately starts pacing around in the snow. Isak can't hold back the smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Are you still there? Isak?"

"Yeah, sorry… I just got sidetracked by a passing car," Isak quickly apologizes to his boss while he still observes the girl and her dog. She now dropped onto the ground to make a snow angel and the husky - at least Isak is pretty sure that's the dog's breed - is licking her face with his tail wagging enthusiastically. "I'm actually at my mother's now… Do you think I can call you tomorrow, maybe? It's freezing and I wanna get inside."

Then, a man appears in the door frame of the house. Isak can't make out much apart from the fact that he seems very tall, maybe even taller than Isak himself, because the warm bright light shining out from inside the house makes him look like nothing but a tall shadow in the door.

Yet, Isak is intrigued enough to forget that he still has Addison on the phone.

"June," the man calls out and Isak holds his breath. "At least put on a beanie, please! It's freezing, sweetheart."

Who is this guy? The last time Isak was here - for his 28th birthday this summer - the elderly couple, Johan and Signe Karlsen, who had been living there since he can remember was still living there. And he knows, from his mum, that they were thinking about moving to a nursing home but she hasn't mentioned anything about that having happened. While she may have just forgotten to mention that, Isak thinks she would've at least told him about her new neighbors. But no… Isak has never heard about a young family moving in across the street before and he isn't sure what to make of it.

He mindlessly hangs up on his boss when the man steps out of the house to walk towards his daughter, a bright green beanie in his hand. As soon as he is standing next to his daughter and their dog, however, he is wrestled to the ground by his daughter using her legs to do him in. "Oh, you little devil!" He shouts and rolls around until he is kneeling over her. Quickly, he pulls the hat over her long blond hair, and then it's game on. He is tickling her and soon, they are rolling around in the snow, the dog bouncing around them.

Isak feels like an intruder, like he shouldn't be watching this family during their sweet little moment. He also has some weird feelings of jealousy. He has to think about his own, long-gone childhood and how most of his memories don't include scenes like this one, especially not the ones with his father in them.

Quickly, he grabs the handle of his suitcase to make his way towards the house. But before he can get a move on, he catches the man looking directly at him over the street.

And, right on cue, the Christmas lights on the tree in his mother's front yard turn on.

A blush spreads across Isak's face as he now can make out more features of the man than just his height. Just like his daughter, he has dirty blond hair that he wears up in an immaculate quiff. His lips are full and his mouth is slightly opened, his hot breath steaming up into the cold air. Isak can't make out his eyes but, even if he doesn't know why, he's sure they will be the death of him if he ever gets to get closer to the man.

For a moment that seems to spread into eternity, they stare at each other from across the street. Both of them waiting - for what, Isak doesn't know. Their moment is interrupted by the dog suddenly noticing Isak's presence and sprinting towards him over the street.

Surprised, Isak lets go of his suitcase to crouch down and pat the dog on the head. He runs his hand through the soft, thick fur as a smile creeps up on his face. The dog nuzzles his snout into Isak's scarf, carefully smelling him, before he licks all over Isak's cheek, signaling that he accepts, likes him.

"You're a good boy, aren't you?" Isak whispers, now kneading the dog's ear while he is happily panting, his tail wagging.

"Actually," Isak who was squatting in front of the dog falls over with surprise as the deep voice reverberates so close to him. The dog also looks up and then immediately recoils from Isak to stand next to his owner. "She's a good girl. And she usually doesn't like strangers at all, so… you should consider yourself very lucky."

A hand - big and strong, with long fingers, and nails painted a deep green - is extended to him and Isak hastily grabs it to pull himself up from the cold snow. "Uh, thanks," he mumbles as he scrapes the snow off of his coat and pants. "And sorry. Good girl, then. Either way, it's a very pretty dog you have."

"Don't tell her. She already has an ego as big as the moon," the man replies with a laugh, scratching his dog behind the ear as he looks Isak over.

Blushing all over again, Isak looks down at his suitcase as silence spreads over them.

"So," the stranger eventually breaks the tension building up between them. "Not to be rude or anything… but who are you exactly? I haven't seen you here before… Marianne is a lovely lady, and if you intend to break in or something, I'll have to stop you."

Isak raises his eyebrows. "Right… I could say the same about you, to be honest. Who are you and what did you do to Signe and Johan?"

The stranger laughs and a warm feeling spreads out from Isak's stomach through his whole body, despite it being several degrees below zero. This laugh is not from this earth, he's sure, and it sounds more angelic than his mum's choir singing Christmas carols in her church on the evening before Christmas Eve.

"Well, I'm not sure I can tell you… You might call the police on me, so… No, I'm obviously kidding. They moved to the nursing home in Tromsø. They wanted something more suitable for their age and to be close to their children and grandchildren. So, we moved in this summer when I started my job here."

"Oh… yeah, makes sense, I guess," Isak indulges. He looks up at the man with a shy smile and a shrug. "It's just that mum didn't tell me anything about it. And she usually tells me every little detail about the things happening around here. Like… if Kjell didn't put out his trash can in time, I know about it. When Lise's cat runs away again, I know about it. When Einar has yet again a new girlfriend, I hear all about it. But then she doesn't tell me about someone new moving in across the street? That just seems a little strange, you know? I don't think it's something she would just forget to tell me."

While he talks, the other man observes him with growing interest. Eventually, he asks: "Wait, you're Marianne's son?" Isak nods warily. The stranger steps up to him, almost intruding on Isak's personal space. "Then you must be Isak… Wow, it's really nice to meet you! I already heard a lot about you. I'm Even!"

Confused, Isak takes the hand that is offered to him and shakes it.

Their fingers are cold and damp, yet it feels nice and Isak doesn't want to let go of Even's hand. So, he holds on for as long as he thinks it's appropriate before he releases Even's hand and looks up at him. "Well, it's very nice to meet you too, man whom I have never heard of before. How do you know my mother? I mean… obviously, you're neighbors, but you seem to know her well, so…"

He isn't even making sense right now, is he? He's just rambling, talking bullshit because somehow his mother's neighbor is making him nervous.

"Well, I guess when you live in London it's not that common - but in small towns like this, people actually talk to their neighbors, you know?" Even tells him, attempting something that is probably supposed to be a wink but just looks weird. Or, well - weird but adorable. "Your mum is great, she also helped out with June once or twice. And we help her with grocery shopping and stuff like that."

Isak frowns at him, confused by the fact Even knows so much about him already. Clearly, he has to talk to his mother about his privacy and that she can't go around telling strangers all about him. He has come to terms with the fact that most of the villagers he knows from his childhood probably know every little detail about his life - but telling strangers who just moved here some months ago about it? That's definitely taking it too far!

Before either one of them can say anything else, the girl appears next to her father, slipping her hand into his, before she looks at Isak with curiosity written all over her face. "Who are you?" She asks after sending a quick, questioning look to her father to check if it is okay to talk to this stranger. "I haven't seen you here before. Do you live here?"

"No, no…" Isak mumbles, overwhelmed. He clears his throat and attempts a smile for the girl. "I used to live here, though, when I was a child. My name is Isak. What about you?"

A big smile appears on the girl's face. "Oh, Marianne told me about you! You're a big lawyer in London now! I'm June." She offers him a gloved hand to shake. "Are you here for Christmas? How long will you stay? Can you tell me about London? I wanna go there so bad!"

"June!" Even intervenes, giving Isak an apologetic smile. "Let the poor man breath for a second. He had a long journey and he must be tired. He probably also wants to go in to see his Mamma, hm? I'm sure he can tell you more about London one of these days."

Isak thanks him silently. "I can do that," he says while shaking June's hand. "But it was very nice to meet you, June." His eyes wander up to meet Even's. "And you."

Even's smile is so warm the snow around them is probably melting as quickly as Isak's heart. "It was very nice to finally meet you, too, Isak," he replies while wrapping an arm around his daughter's shoulder. "See you soon, I guess? And say hi to Marianne from us."

"Sure will do," Isak promises.

June waves at him and then guides their dog back to their house. Her father lingers for a moment, not quite ready yet to let Isak out of his sight.

However, they are once again interrupted before they can exchange any more words, as the front door behind Isak is yanked open by his mother. "I thought I heard voices," she shouts out to them, wrapping her long wool cardigan around herself against the cold. "Baby, come inside, it's freezing! I don't want you to get sick. Hi, Even - how are you, dear?"

Isak blushes a bright crimson upon hearing his mother calling him by this stupid pet name and generally acting as if he was in fact still a child. And all of that in front of a man that looks like he materialized straight out of one of Isak's wet dreams. How is this fair? How is he supposed to look at Even again?

He can see an amused smile playing around Even's lips out of the corner of his eye. It's teasing, clearly, but not mocking in any way. In fact, Even looks like he thinks this whole episode playing out in front of him is cute. "I'm fine, Marianne," Even calls back at his mother without taking his eyes off of Isak. "I hope you're good, as well! And thank you for the cookies, by the way. They're delicious! June loves them a lot and I had to stop her from eating them all in one sitting. Even Kira stole one when I wasn't looking…"

"Good thing I remembered to not use nuts and chocolate! I know that dog loves food more than anything… Next time, I'll remember to bake a treat especially for her. Did you meet Even's dog yet, baby? She's such a lovely dog!"

"Mamma," Isak whines while picking at the handle of his suitcase. "Stop calling me that, I'm a grown-ass man!"

His mum laughs, delighted. "You'll always be my little baby. Now, come in and unpack your things. I'll make some tea and we can have the rest of the cookies while you tell me about your flight."

Isak sighs and pulls his suitcase up. He gives Even one more glance before he opens the fence gate and walks up to the front door to greet his mother with a kiss on the cheek. She takes his face into her hands and examines his face carefully. "You look good," she says happily. "Not as stressed as last time."

Then she looks past him to Even who closes the gate behind Isak. "Thank you, Even. You're an angel… Why don't you all come over for dinner before Christmas Eve? Then you can properly meet Isak."

Even nods and smiles politely while Isak flinches at the thought. He hasn't thought about it until now but now the image of a woman with long blonde curls won't leave his mind. June's mother, the spitting image of her daughter, Even's wife. She must be in the house or maybe she's still at work… but she'd definitely come with her husband and daughter to the dinner his mum has just invited them to.

Isak deflates while happy, domestic family scenes of Even and his little family play out in his mind.

What has he even been thinking gawking at Even like that for the past minutes? And how could he even have thought for a minute that the other man was flirting with him a little? Clearly, that is the last thing on Even's mind and it's only wishful thinking on Isak's side.

"That's a great idea," he can hear Even reply. "Or maybe you both could come over instead? I don't want to cause you unnecessary trouble before the holidays. You should enjoy your days with Isak… How about you come over on Tuesday?"

Marianne agrees and then Even leaves after flashing another radiant smile in Isak's direction. Isak lets out a breath he hasn't realized he was holding.

"Isn't he just wonderful?" His mum asks while taking his bag from Isak to carry it towards his old room. Isak follows her, dumbfounded, with his suitcase after closing the front door. "I'm so happy that such nice people moved in next door. I didn't like the idea of Signe and Johan moving away… but with the Bech Næsheims now living there - it's the next best thing, don't you think so?"

"U-hu," is all Isak manages to get out. His mind still caught up on Even and his perfect smile.

It isn't fair of whatever God you might or might not believe in to flaunt this perfect man right in front of Isak when he isn't actually available. It's like offering a piece of over-sugary cake to a diabetic. Just not fair.

When they arrive in his room, he drops onto the bed and looks up at his mother with a frown. "How come you never mentioned your new neighbors in any of our phone calls?"

"Oh? I haven't?" It's obvious by the way she tries to hide her smile that she is lying to him right now and they both know. "I guess I must have forgotten. You know… I'm not getting any younger. But what does it matter, baby? You will get to know them on Tuesday. And I just know that you and Even will get along just fine."


	2. Supermarket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two. <3  
> Thank you so much for all your comments and your kudos - it means so much to me. And I'm so happy that I managed to finish a second chapter before Christmas. It's not edited yet but I will work the edits in eventually after my lovely beta readers have had the time to look at it. So for now, keep the mistakes. ;-)))
> 
> Merry Christmas, y'all - and if you don't celebrate, just enjoy the free days, hehe. <3

When Isak wakes up the next morning, the house smells of coffee and freshly baked bread. He immediately feels warm, even though it's freezing in his room as he got used to sleeping with the window tilted and forgot that it would be a horrible idea to do this here where temperatures at night could easily drop below -10°C.

After pulling the covers up over his head, he contemplates staying like this for the entire day. He could use some rest and it's more than tempting to comply. And Isak knows his mum wouldn't blame him for it but eventually he lets the smell lure him out of bed.

He puts on a pair of wool socks that his grandma made for him when he was still a teenager and finds a nice, thick sweater from his suitcase to keep him warm. Once he feels like he is armed to fight the cold, he tip-toes through the hallway and into the kitchen where he finds his mother busying herself with setting the breakfast table.

Of course, she's completely overdoing it. But there's soft Christmas music playing in the background and she's humming along happily, so Isak has no intention of stopping her. If she wants to pamper him, who is he to say no?

Instead, he steps up to her and hugs her sideways, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning, Mamma," he mumbles, putting a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. "Can I help you with anything?"

"No, baby, pour yourself some coffee and then go and sit down," his mother tells him and shoos him away when he doesn't move immediately. "You work so hard and now that you finally have some free time, I don't want you to do anything. You deserve some rest… So, go on and sit. I'm almost done anyway… I just have to wait for the bread to cool off, so I can cut some slices, and then we're ready to go, I think. I even bought your favorite juice."

Isak smiles at her sheepishly. "You shouldn't have done all of that just for me… You know I don't need all of that, Mamma. I just want to spend some quality time with you and my sister… When is Lea coming, by the way?"

"I don't know," Marianne sighs while getting the juice from the fridge. Isak walks over to the kitchen counter to pour himself a cup of coffee before finally sitting down at the table. There, he waits for his mother to continue, to explain what's going on with his sister. "She is very busy in Berlin and Alexander wants them to spend Christmas with his parents… I think they have been fighting because of that for some weeks now."

Confused, Isak raises his eyebrows. "What? But it has never been a problem before between them. They've been spending Christmas here for three years now! How did it suddenly become an issue?"

"I guess that's exactly the issue, Isak. They haven't spent one Christmas with his parents since they've been together." Marianne shrugs and turns around to cut some slices from the fresh bread for their breakfast. She continues talking as she carries the breadbasket over to the table, sitting across from Isak. "I enjoyed having them here a lot but I guess it was a little selfish of me. And of Lea. But, to be fair, I think they had problems before this issue arose. I feel like they will break up sooner or later."

"What?" This is all news to Isak and he realizes once again how little he knows about his sister's life. It has been like that ever since she moved to Berlin on her 20th birthday, abandoning him, leaving him with a useless father and an unwell mother. And while Isak has forgiven her by now, they never fully rekindled their relationship and stayed distant, barely managing to send each other birthday wishes every year. All the news Isak gets on his sister, he gets either from his mother or on the one time they do see each other every year: Christmas. "What's going on with them? I thought they'd get married soon and have like a ton of babies!"

"I'm not sure, baby… I guess they just drifted apart," his mother replies while placing a slice of bread on his plate. "It happens and then, when people don't want to admit to it, they start fighting about the smallest of things. They're holding on to a thing, but their heart isn't in it anymore and so, they blame the other person for their unhappiness."

Isak makes a comprehending noise and shrugs. "I guess," he mumbles under his breath while spreading jam on his bread.

To be quite honest, Isak has no idea if that is what happens when people drift apart. He hasn't had a relationship long enough to drift apart from his partner. He has never been in a relationship that lasted longer than some months. Not because he doesn't want a long-term relationship and neither was it a lack of opportunities or anything… it's more that it just never works out for him. Stuff happens, and then it's over before it has even begun.

And it's not like he's desperately looking for a boyfriend either. He has a pretty neat group of friends - whether that's people from work, his best childhood friend Jonas who visits him regularly in London, friends he made during his studies in Oslo, or his upstairs-neighbors Harry and Javier - and he has his family; well, mostly his mother, but that still counts and his sister is kind of there, too. On top, he has a nice yet stressful job that pays him good money, even if it means overtime and working on the weekend ever so often. Also, he has picked up aikido after moving to London, and he likes to indulge in this new hobby of his as often as work and friends let him. So, yeah, Isak has a pretty good and busy life without a boyfriend and just because he sometimes gets lonely when he's lying in his bed at night or when he eats yet another takeaway dish in front of his TV, that doesn't mean he is looking for commitment.

Isak frowns at himself as he tries to remember how he ended up with his thoughts spiraling down that road just because his mum had… Oh, yeah, his mum told him about Lea and her boyfriend possibly breaking up.

"So," he clears his throat and puts the slice of bread down on his plate, "does this mean they won't come for Christmas then? I mean… if they haven't spent Christmas with Alexander's parents, maybe they should do that. Maybe things will get better between them if he sees that Lea is willing to do things like that for him."

His mother shrugs and bends over the table to reach for the plate with fruits. "I told her that as well… but, to be honest, I'm not even sure if that is what she wants anymore - to mend things with him. She will have to figure that out, I guess… Anyway, there's nothing we can do about that. So, back to you… How are you doing, baby, everything alright?"

"Me? I'm fine… I mean, it's been pretty stressful at work these past weeks because we had some big cases coming up, but otherwise, everything is good," he replies and continues with his breakfast, looking at his mother over the table. "How about you, then? Everything alright here?" He pauses and bites his lips - he knows his mum is just waiting for him to ask about it, but his curiosity gets the better of him anyway. "Why haven't I heard about your new neighbors before? Apparently, they've been living there since summer and you haven't mentioned them once."

"Oh?" Marianne pretends to be surprised as she puts down her cup. "I didn't know you would care, Isak. Usually, when I tell you about the things going on in the neighborhood, you roll your eyes and change the topic as quickly as possible."

"That's not even true…" Isak sighs and gives her exactly that eye-roll she's just mentioned. "Well, maybe… sometimes when you talk about stuff like Lise's cat running away yet again and such. But you getting new neighbors is interesting, Mamma! That's the kind of stuff I need to know. I almost got a heart attack last night when Even came out of the Karlsen's house, you know?"

"I'm sure you did," his mum says with an undertone that makes Isak blush. She is clearly communicating that she _knows_. And she isn't finished either. "Well, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you, I guess. I didn't know it would be interesting to you, I guess? I wonder if you would be just as agitated if an old lady was living there now."

Isak bites his lip and looks down at his bread slice. "I don't know what you're talking about.."

His mother just shoots him a knowing look over the table before they silently decide to continue their breakfast and talk about less distressing things - such as Lise's cat and the Christmas concert of Marianne's choir in three days.

Once they're finished with breakfast, his mum shoves a shopping list into Isak's hand and asks him to run down to the grocery store to get the things she needs for baking yet another set of Christmas cookies. Grumbling, he takes the list and goes back to his room to find himself some warmer clothes.

When he steps outside, however, it's not the cold that makes him freeze on the spot. It's Even coming out of the house across the street just two seconds after Isak closed the garden gate behind him.

The other man flashes him a smile and beckons him to wait while he gets a grocery bag and then locks the door behind him. Isak complies, walking over the narrow street to wait for Even next to what probably is Even's car. He tries his best to look cool while Even walks up to him with big strides. But, Isak is sure, it must be obvious that he is anything but cool and that, on top of that, he is rather nervous and jittery right now. Nervous to encounter Even again and yet eager to talk to him again.

"Hey," Even greets once he stops in front of Isak. "Nice to see you again already. What are you up to today?"

"Uhhh… well, my mum left me in charge of the grocery shopping, so… yeah, I'm headed to the supermarket. What about you?" What a dumb question; Even has his grocery bag right there and yet, Isak asks him where he's going like a complete idiot.

But Even just continues to smile at him. "Cool, I also need to go there… I can give you a lift if you want? You arrived in a taxi yesterday, so I'm guessing you don't have a car."

"I hate driving," Isak mumbles and quickly hides his blush with his scarf. He excels at making a fool out of himself today, huh? Eventually, he nods to answer Even's question. "Yeah… if you don't mind. That would be really nice of you."

"Sure, of course…" Even grins at him and unlocks the car. "Get in," he tells Isak while opening the trunk to put his bag in there.

Isak does as he's told, his eyes moving around until he can see Even through the rear-view mirror. The man looks way too good in his winter jacket and burgundy beanie. And when he smashes the trunk shut, it's not Isak's fault that his thoughts automatically wander to the muscles flexing underneath Even's jacket; it's really not. It's also not his fault when he thinks about those arms wrapped around his body, no.

He shakes himself out of it by thinking about Even's wife who's probably on her way to bring their daughter to school or at work or taking their dog for a walk or… well, whatever she might be up to, she definitely wouldn't appreciate some creepy stranger drooling over her husband like this.

It's just in time, too, as Even slides into the driver's seat with a big smile. "Ready?" he asks while fastening his seat belt.

Quickly, Isak imitates his action and then nods, focusing his eyes on the road ahead, so that he doesn't have to look at the beautiful man sitting next to him. But he catches a glance of his hand from the corner of his eyes as Even puts the car into the first gear. He can't help but notice that his nails are painted blue today when they were still green last night. So, he has to ask: "Do you paint your nails a different color every day, or…?"

"Oh, this?" Even looks down on his hands now wrapped around the steering wheel. He grins to himself. "That's actually June's doing… She saw some of the girls in her class with painted nails and thought it looked fun, so she sneaked a bottle of polish into my basket at the drugstore without me realizing it. The next day she came home from school, smudgy polish on her nails and fingers and tears in her eyes. Apparently, the other girls had laughed at her because the polish wasn't applied well. So, I offered her to practice on me… it has become a habit now and I actually enjoy it. It also helps her to calm down - and I look rad. It is a win-win-win kind of situation."

Isak bites his lips, but he can't stop the smile from spreading all over his face. "Sounds like you're an amazing dad," he whispers.

Even is quiet and Isak almost regrets blurting this out. It's not his place to make comments like that, is it? It was meant in the nicest way possible, but still… Maybe he should just shut up altogether. But when he sneaks a glance at Even, Isak realizes that the problem isn't that he said anything - it's rather that Even seems to carefully contemplate Isak's words as if no one has ever called him an amazing dad. "You think?" is what he replies eventually.

"Yeah, I do," Isak assures with a smile. "I mean… I know you for like five minutes, but you seem fine."

They share a look and then, they both laugh, relieving the tension that was threatening to build up between them. "Yeah, I am great," Even grins, the light-heartedness back in his voice. "I mean, I let my kid paint my nails… What more can you expect from a dad, right?"

"Exactly."

It's not quite what Isak meant to say, but it's neither the time nor the place to say all the things he'd like to say. For example, that his statement wasn't solely based on the fact that Even let his daughter paint his nails since he had observed them last night as they played together in their front yard, too. Or that, while he may not know what makes a good father, he at least knows enough about bad fathering from his dad to know that Even is doing more than okay.

"How old is she?" Isak settles on asking instead, guessing that talking about June is harmless territory that will keep them in their light-hearted mood from before.

"She turned 7 in October," Even replies while he finally starts the car and starts driving towards the town center. "I need to go pick something up at the pharmacy, so I thought we could drive to the Kiwi. There's also a bus stop right there if you don't want to wait for me."

Isak grunts. "I've been living here for 18 years, I know every bus stop in this town, Even. Not that there are many to know…" They grin at each other through the mirror. "But it's fine, I can wait for you. Why is she called June when she was born in October, though?"

"I named her after my aunt."

"That's sweet," Isak says, smiling to himself. "So, you and your aunt get along well?"

It takes a moment until Isak realizes that there has been another mood swing, as he has been looking out the window to marvel at his snow-clad hometown. When he does, he turns towards Even with a frown. What has he caused now again? Maybe this is the reason why he doesn't have a boyfriend. Because he is incapable to read a conversation and to steer clear of risky topics and things people don't want to talk about.

But Even gathers himself pretty quickly. "We were… When I was a child, I thought of her as my soulmate. I mean, obviously not in a romantic way, but we were kindred spirits. She was my favorite person on earth. It was only natural to name my daughter after her."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Isak mumbles, admonishing himself to just keep quiet from now on considering how is unable to make small talk without putting his foot in his mouth.

"Thank you," Even replies as he drives into the parking lot in front of the supermarket. Isak hasn't realized that they've already arrived — probably he was too busy with making a fool out of himself in front of the hottest man ever. And okay, maybe that's an exaggeration – especially since Even doesn't look like he thinks in that way about Isak at all – but Isak just feels like a fool. "But it's okay… It's been almost 15 years now and I'm fine. And sometimes June reminds me so much of her that it feels like she's living on in her."

"That is very sweet. And good for you — both of you." Isak smiles apprehensively at Even before unbuckling and getting out of the car.

Once outside, he takes a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm his nerves. He shouldn't be allowed to be anywhere near beautiful men since he's a disaster par excellence around them — which isn't even the case, usually, but it's the case around Even. Isak feels trapped between trying to impress him as much as possible and trying to be himself (which yes, are two contradicting things).

Isak doesn't know what it is about Even that makes him act like this. To be honest, he has never felt this in doubt of himself ever. Not when he was dating what was probably the hottest guy in all of the Fulham neighborhood where Isak used to live until two years ago. (Well, dating… they regularly hooked-up for some months and it was mainly Isak hoping that the guy, Elijah, would see more in him than a convenient fuck.) Not when he was trying to woo that cute intern during his first year in the office. And certainly not when he was projecting all his feelings on his best friend during his teenage years just because there was no other approachable, good-looking guy around.

When he hears the car door being slammed shut on the other side of the car, Isak pushes his overreactive (and inappropriate) thoughts away. He hopes that he succeeds in pushing his nervousness in the far back of his mind with them, too.

Slowly, he turns around towards Even who is busy getting his bag from the trunk. When he turns around, Isak tries to give him his best smile — just to realize that Even is on the phone and not actually looking at him but rather just past him, as he is focused on his conversation with whoever is on the other line. Even, however, looks angry and he barely says a word but rather just grunts into his mobile. It's a bit irritating and yet reassuring to see him act like this when he has been nothing but a ball of sunshine so far in Isak's presence.

"Yeah, whatever," are the enraged words Isak hears Even mutter before he hangs up and smashes the trunk shut. Then, he stops and looks at Isak as if he's forgotten he is there. "Shit, sorry… Nevermind that, I shouldn't have taken that call. Fuck.. uhm, should we… are you ready to go?"

Smiling, Isak nods. So, Even is also just human. A very sexy and beautiful and magnificent example of humankind, yeah, but still just human. And maybe, just maybe, Isak can work with that and stop being so freaking twitchy. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's tackle the pre-Christmas supermarket buzz."

"Yeah, let's…" Even sighs but gives Isak a little smile nevertheless. "I mean, it's only the 20th, so maybe it'll be fine."

"Yeah, right," Isak indulges him mockingly.

Even makes a dismissive gesture. "Right… who am I kidding, huh? There'll probably be an elderly lady stealing the last cabbage from my shopping cart and then it'll be mayhem in there."

There is no elderly lady stealing cabbage out of shopping carts and there's also no mayhem, but there's laughter and warmth and soft hands touching when Isak accidentally wheels away Even's cart instead of his.

It's as if someone has flipped a switch within Isak and drained his system of his nervousness around this god of a man.

The drive home is pleasant, cozy, and filled with classic Christmas songs blasting from the car's radio. With Even humming or singing along lowly and Isak biting his lips to not join in this madness. With laughter and quiet conversations in between songs. With hidden glances and loaded silence.

And when Isak has to lean against the closed front door once he's back in the safety of his mother's house — after they sat in Even's parked car for at least fifteen minutes to talk and enjoy each other's company until Even eventually send him off with a "see you tomorrow", which yes, they would, since he and his mum were invited to dinner at Even's house so that Isak could properly meet him and his family — just to regain his composure and to whip the enamored smile from his face, nobody has to know.

Not his mum, not Even - and especially, not Even's wife.

Well, fuck, what exactly has he gotten himself into here?


End file.
